Wheel play indicator



May 23, 1950 N. M. WILLIAMS 2,508,849

WHEEL PLAY INDICATOR Filed Nov. 30, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /5 r/0 /5/ IL N M/VlLL IAM E @www May 23, 1950 N. M. WILLIAMS WHEEL PLAY INDICATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 30, 1945 me/whew .L MA/Wal.:

Patented May 23, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WHEEL PLAY INDICATGR Neville M. Williams, Harrisonburg, Va. Application November 30, 1945, Serial No. 631,835

1 Claim. l

This invention relates to an indicating apparatus and is more particularly directed to an apparatus for disclosing the degree of play in vehicle wheels.

In those jurisdictions where an inspection of automobiles is required, and particul-arly where automobile repair shops are assigned to the duty of inspection, an overzealous inspector will exaggerate the defect, because of the lack of simple instrumentalities for indicating the extent of the lost motion, which the customer may read for himself, at the time of the inspection.

It is an object of the-present invention to provide a simple and eicient apparatus for determining the amount of play of certain elements of the Wheels of an automobile.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a simple apparatus which may be accurately operated by an unskilled person to determine the amount of play in a vehicle wheel due to either loose connections in king bolts or steering arms.

A further object of the invention is the provision of :an apparatus for determining the amount of play in vehicle wheels, said apparatus including standards rising from a base with a device adjustably mounted on the standards and having a movable index finger engageable with points on a wheel, said finger being reciprocated when the wheel is rocked because of loose connections associated with the wheel, said linger operating an indicator over a scale, thereby showing the degree of looseness in the wheel.

A still further object .of the invention is the provision of a simple and eiicient apparatus for disclosing the amount of play in a wheel either because of defective connections in the king bolt or in the steering arms, said apparatus including a reciprocating finger for actuating an arm that moves an indicator over a scale showing the degree of looseness, said indicator remaining in indicating position after the apparatus has been moved away from the wheel.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the following description of a preferred and practical embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side View in elevation of the indieating apparatus in operative relation with a wheel for determining the play caused by a loose kine pin;

Figure 2 is an enlarged horizontal section of the indicating device per se which has been removed from its support;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section, taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2, and showing a movable arm and indicator;

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view, partly in section, of the indicating device showing the operating parts; and

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the indicating apparatus shown applied to a wheel for determining the loose play in the steering arms of automoe biles.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, IIl designates a platform or base member which Vis adapted to be placed on level ground or on the floor of a building and which has a framework of angle iron construction. Spaced standards II of angle iron construction rise from the platform and are secured rigidly in any suitable manner to said platform.

A housing generally designated by the numeral I2, is mounted on a plate I3 which has an opening I4 through which is inserted one of a pair of standards II. The housing has a side opening I5, through which project an arm I6 and an indicator I'I, (Figures 2 and 3).

Referring more particularly to Figure 3, it will be seen that a casing I8 has its top I 9 secured to the under face of the plate I3. Said top has an opening 2U which receives the other standard II. Spaced bolts 2I and 22 are secured in the casing in parallel relation to each other. A bar 23 is slidably mounted on the bolts, and springs 24 on said bolts press against the bar and force said bar into frictional engagement with the angle iron standards II for maintaining the housing I2, the plate I3 and the casing I8 in adjusted positions vertically along the standards.' lAn outer wall 25 of the casing is in abutting relation with said standards and cooperates with the bar 23 for retaining said casing and associated parts forming the indicating unit per se in adjusted positions.

An index finger or feeler 26 is mounted for reciprocation in the wall 25 and a parallel wall 2'I of the casing I 8. Coil springs 28 are connected between the wall 25 and the ends of a bar 29 secured by a bolt 3l), to the finger 26. The springs return said finger to its normal inoperative position when the free end 3l of said finger is re- -moved from engagement with a tire after the nger had been moved in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 4. A pin 32, mounted in the finger 26, engages the inner face of the wall 25 and limits the outward movement of said linger.

The arm I6 is pivotally mounted between its ends on bolt 35 passing through the plate I3 and said pin 4D fto push -the extension 38 toward the left, thereby causing the arm to oscillate.

The indicator I1 has its inner end loosely7 pinned on the head 36 of the bolt .3.5 .and vis movable independently of the arm I6, except when said indicator is oscillated :by the :arm .in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 2 and over a scale 45. However, when the arm is returned by the springs 29 to its normal inoperative position, the *indicator will remain in its indicating position ,until manually returned. The plate .1.3, ,and .the associated housing 1,2

.the .casing I8 are moved .as va unit AB vertically along ,the ,standards when .the ba-r 23 is forced away manually from said ystandar,ds against .the tension of .the .springs 24.. Vlhen the bar ,is released, it v will frictionally .engage .said .Standards .and retain the uni-t in position.

Referring more particularly to Figure 1, it will .be ,seen that when .the apparatus is 1 so placed .adiacent the .tire 42 with the end ai of the nhg-,er inengagement with a .side Wall :of .said tire when the tire .is in .substantially a vertical plane, rocking of the `tire .along a horizontal axis Where ,there is loose `play in the king pin connections e .cause the `lower .end -of said .tire to move the iinger inwardly of the casing I8, thereby roliing the .arm .L6 Aand moving 4the indicator over the lscale .45 which is so .graduated as to .disclose .the amount of displacement .of the rocked tire from a vertical. If the position of the indicator ITI shows .too great ,a degree of displacement, the proper correction must be made.

.Referring il@ .Figure .5, it will be yseen .that another determination may be .made when the tire iS rocked along a vertical axis.. The apparatus .is so Positioned relative-to the tire 4.2 that the point 3i .0i .the nger `2,6 will engage the side Wall of said tire at a point approximately in line with the horizontal axis, the unit d6 carrying the indicator I'I being adjusted `vertical-- 1y along .the Standards II for the purpose.

Any `loose play in .the steering arms will be registered by the indicator I'I on the scale 45.

Such registration will determine whether ad- 55 justments must be made in the steering arms.

While I have in the above description disclosed what I believe to be a preferred and practical embodiment of the invention, it will be understood to those skilled in the art that the details of construction and the arrangement of parts, as shown, are by way of example and not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.

What I claim as my invention is:

indicating apparatus Yfor determining play in automobile fron-t wheels comprising a platform, spaced guide rods extending upwardly from the front of said platform in a vertical direction, an open bottomed casing having front, top, and back walls and guideways at the front through which said lvertical guide rods freely slide, a friction plate muunted within said casing to slide in a back to front direction into contact with said guide `rods, spaced parallel bolts xed in said casing in a plane perpendicular to the plane of `said vertical guide rods .and passing through apertures in :said plate, .springs in 'compression surrounding .said bolts bearing against lsaid jllate to clamp it against said guide rods, .-a teeler extending .through said casing .and 4beyond said front .and back walls, .reoiprocably slidable through apertures in said walls, said feeler being between said .gu-ide rods, springs 'of equal .strength .connected .to said feeler on opposite sides .and to said casing and being symmetrically arranged with respect to said feeler for urging .it in .a forward direction, a stop on said feeler limiting its forward movement., said casing having .en its top wall a scale plate .and an index movable respons-ive :to movements of .said ieeler in operative relation to .said Scale plate.

'NEVILLE M. WILLIAMS.

REFERENCES CITED The vfollowing references are .of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED 'STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 407,903 Schlatter July 30., 1889 1,063,766 Becker June 1913 1,131,253 Lichtner Mar. v9, 1915 1,149,469 Schilling Aug. 1G, 1'9'1'5 1,317,227 Scusa Sept. 3D, 1919 2,327,948 Webster Aug. 24, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 494,254 France Mar. v26, 1919 

